The film, released in 2000, saw Julia Roberts win the Oscar for Best Actress.
Movie buffs have noticed an incredible detail in the hit film Erin Brockovich, based on the story of a mother’s crusade for justice with the same name. Julia Roberts starred as single mom Brockovich in the film, released in 2000, which tells the true story of the polluted water supply in Hinkley. Set in the early 90s in the California town, mom-of-three Brockovich starts work as a legal assistant and she notices that many of the town’s residents are sick. The plot follows Brockovich’s quest for justice against utility company PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric.) During the 1950s and 60s, groundwater was contaminated with Chromium 6 from their natural gas pumping station. The film ends with PG&E being ordered to pay $333 million in 1996, which at the time was the largest sum ever paid out in a direct-action lawsuit. Roberts won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Brockovich, with her incredible memory, revealing wardrobe and potty mouth all an accurate representation. In a CNBC article from 2008, Brockovich was quoted as saying: “Yes, I did dress that way. I was actually taken back by the response of many people regarding my wardrobe. Yes, I had a potty mouth in the movie and I still do.” But as well as having a movie made about her life, and sharing her name with the title, Brockovich herself stars in the film.
